Indestructible
by Allowyn
Summary: Your name is JAKE DE HARLEY. You are NEARLY 40 YEARS OLD. You are KING of SEARTH. Her Imperial Condescension and the country of ALTERNIA has just declared WAR on you. What will you do?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

The Royal court at the palace in Skyros was oddly formal for such a normal seeming day. Guards lined the walls, alert, but not more so than usual, the members of the Searthen capital nobility chatted idly to each other, discussing this and that, affairs and affairs of state fashion and glory. Some paid attention to those addressing the King. But when a Lady in a teal gown stepped into the middle of the room, her usual wicked grin on her features, a hush fell.

"We recognize the Alternian Ambassador, Lady Terezi Propel, and wish our greetings and good health upon Her Imperial Condescension." King's Jake de Harley's voice boomed out across the court. He sat regally, the ermine trimmed purple clock draped across the throne of Searth, half covering his dark brown doublet and caramel tunic. In his right hand he held the golden, ornate sceptre of his office, upon his mop of black hair sat a golden crown, inlaid with Diamonds Rubies and Amethysts.

Lady Terezi pinched her gown and spread it in a graceful curtsey, the brocade was heavy and threaded with red silk skilfully, it cascaded beautifully from her hands and whispered with each slight movement.

"My Empress sends her kindest regards," Only one experienced in reading body language would have been able to detect the subtle hint in her voice that suggested otherwise. "to you and your children." King Jake's right rand tightened slightly, his knuckles showing white.

"Has she reached a decision on the treaty yet?" The atmosphere of the court turned tense, very rarely did the King cut straight to the point like that. Very rarely did his children accompany him to court too. Crown Prince John instinctively laid his hand protectively on the shoulder of his younger sister, Princess Jade. They stood to the right of their father, slightly lower on the dais but still protected by the King's Guard. His sister flickered bright, green eyes over to her brother but she otherwise didn't respond. Jade wore the latest court fashion, a scandalously low cut gown that barely clung to her shoulder, the mixes of forest green and emerald with black embroidery set off her eyes and hair nicely. John wore a rich blue tunic with a black vest, cobalt blue leggings and a soft, comfortable pair of boots.

"Your Majesty" The courts attention snapped back to the Alternian Ambassador, the grin was still on her face, most had come to think of it as her default expression. Lady Terezi unrolled the scroll she had been hiding in her hands. "If I have your permission, Your Majesty?"

King Jake inclined his head once, slowly. He already knew what the answer was going to be, this was a pre-arranged signal to warn the guards stationed throughout the court to ready themselves for any potential situation.

The Ambassador's grey-green eyes didn't miss a thing, that woman had keen perception.

"_To Jake, first of his name, King of Searth, Ruler of the Western Ocean and Lord of the Eagle's Plains._

_Her Imperial Condescension Peixes, Express of Alternia, Beauteous Light of the True People, Called Conqueror acknowledges your failure to swear fealty to your true Empress and recognize her as your superior, and failure to adhere to the following demands; dismantle your Navy, dismiss your army, and divest all alliances, treaties and contracts that are not recognized by the Alternian legal system._

_You are hereby ordered to execute all of the de Harley name and blood, and surrender your lands, your so called "nobility" and yourself to the Alternia Navy Fleet._

_Failure to abide by these new demands will result in a declaration of War and extreme force that will ultimately lead to the destruction and erasure of everything that can be defined as Searthen in culture, name, reference, and history._

_Signed, in blood, the Condesce." _


	2. Chapter 2

The bowstring twanged, air whistled through the blue dyed feathers guiding the poisoned arrow. The courier fell to the ground.

"Bullseye." A lilting voice muttered, triumphant and female.

"Of course," The second voice was male, deep and coarse; it belonged to a large chested, broad shouldered man whose shoulder length black hair was tied back with a leather strip. The duo was concealed carefully in forest surrounding the highway. "Would you have expected any less?" The individual seemed to place a strange emphasis on his 'x's. The woman, pale with deep blue eyes nodded once at her companion.

"Not wh-" She cut her own sentence off, it was difficult to see in this light but she was lithe of body that was not without its scars. A messy lock of blue black hair had escaped it's bindings with the sudden movement. Both deep blue eyes and stormy grey ones shot over to the road as the clip of horses hooves could faintly be heard.

Around the bend came a small patrol of the Royal Searthen Army, there were no more than 10 men, and they hadn't yet spotted the body.

Captain Equius Zahhak made a few quick hand signals to his Commander, Vriska Serket. Slowly, she drew her curved sword and moved carefully closer to the road. Equius nocked an arrow, aiming for who he assumed to be the ranking officer. In the ground next to him were three more arrows ready for a rapid fire, several more were located in the quiver strapped to his back. As he let fly with the first one and lined up the second, the Commander had rolled out in front of the patrol, startling the horses. Their Captain went down, and the smell of blood filled the mounts nostrils, the horses bucked and shied away, dropping their riders on the ground and galloping away.

Vriska walked right into the middle, executing the soldiers who were too surprised to defend themselves, and laughing cruelly at those who had enough time to mount any sort of defence as she used her luck to mercilessly cull them. Equius barely had to do anything, he'd fired three shots and Vriska took care of the rest, an evil grin had etched itself onto her features and her sword dripped red with blood. The Imperial Archer strode over to join her.

"Did any get away?" He demanded.

"One." She replied. "Give me your bow and an arrow." He handed them over.

"Do you even know which direction he ran in?"

"Nope." She shrugged, drew the bow, aimed high in a random direction, and let it fly. The both watched it gracefully arc and then fall only a stone's throw from their position. A scream of pain followed and Commander Vriska chuckled.

"That is, perhaps, the only reason why you have not been executed yet. Your powers over luck are extraordinary." Vriska turned and winked at him and moved over to the courier's body, not for the first time he noticed the strange shape the pupil of her left eye took on. It seemed to be normal, if a little smaller than the pupil usually should be, but it was surrounded by six small circles. They all widened in darkness and shrunk in light, and acted how a pupil should have, but that didn't stop it from unnerving him, or anyone else who saw it.

"All of the luck. Aaaaaaaall of it." That woman had an annoying tendency to drag out certain words.

Vriska turned and rummaged through the courier's bags and pockets, the dead man's eyes looked up at her almost accusingly, sickeningly devoid of life, they were not the first she'd seen giving her that expression. It would most certainly not be the last, not if their Glorious Empress had her way.

"Was he the one we were expecting?" Equius kept an eye on the road with an arrow ready to be drawn at a moment's notice; he was a cautious man in enemy territory. Vriska didn't answer until she finally pulled out a sealed missive. It was stamped with the de Harley crest of a sword, a skull and a crown. She ripped it open with sharp nails, proceeding to read it out loud.

"Yadda, yadda, yadda, Alternia has declared war, prepare troops for defence and civilians to be drafted, bluh bluh etc…" She then frowned; the creases in her face did nothing good for her looks. "'Initiate Defence Alpha.' What is 'Defence Alpha'?"

"Assumedly some pathetic mongrel excuse for a battle plan. We shall pass this back to the main camp and the Intelligence Officers may deal with it then. Come. We have places to be."


End file.
